Changes
by ChimeraDragon
Summary: What if Rodney was infected through his splinter from helping John after Elia attacked him? SGA slash, bug!John, bug!Rodney, McShep [COMPLETE]


Title: Changes

Author: Chimera Dragon

SGA slash, bug!John, bug!Rodney, McShep

Word Count: 16440

Rating: M

Summary: What if Rodney was infected through his splinter from helping John after Elia attacked him?

Rodney looked over and noticed that John's arm didn't seem to have a mark in it from where Ellia had grabbed him. He stared for a moment as Carson cleaned the wound.

"What happened to your injury?" Rodney asked, giving the man in the other bed a completely confused look.

"It must have been something else," John replied as he tried to brush it off.

"No," Rodney replied stubbornly. "I heard you cry out when she grabbed you. I felt the wound myself when I helped tie the bandage on. You aren't fooling me."

"Well, there's nothing there now so there's no point in getting all worked up over something that's not there."

"I hate to have to agree with you," Carson replied as he rinsed the blood off of John's arm. "You let me know if anything strange should happen now lad."

Rodney merely stared at his team leader, so engrossed in trying to figure out what happened that he didn't even notice that the nurse was done with him until she shook his shoulder again lightly.

"Doctor McKay, you can go now. I took a sample from the wound and put an anti-biotic on it. You should be fine," she said as she helped him down.

"Yeah, thanks," Rodney replied distractedly. "Nice work. Didn't feel a thing."

"Take care," she said and wandered off to tend to someone else.

"I'm surprised you didn't complain more, Rodney," John said jovially.

"I'm more concerned about you. I mostly complain because it leaves me with less of my mind to think about the pain. It's weird and stupid. But it works," Rodney replied offhandedly. "Besides, I really want to know what happened to your injury."

"Nothing," John insisted. "I obviously wasn't injured."

"Are you calling me a liar?" Rodney demanded, giving John a very dangerous look.

"No. I said nothing of the sort," John replied with a slightly surprised look. He rubbed the spot on his arm where Carson had rubbed the ointment on to clean the wound that didn't seem to exist. He looked at Rodney with an apologetic smile. "Sorry."

"Yeah, well, it's okay. I forgive you. This time. I guess bringing attention to my hand wasn't necessary after all," Rodney said almost to himself with a sigh.

"That was fake?" John asked, looking slightly startled.

"Um..." Rodney looked bashful for a moment.

"You really didn't feel it?" John pressed.

"Well, I did feel it when the nurse pulled it out. But not really, the splinter just kind stung. I was just going to ask for a pair of tweezers and some disinfectant and be on my way..." Rodney closed his mouth with a snap to stop himself from saying more.

"Why would you do that? For the attention?"

"No."

"Then why?"

"For you," Rodney murmured, almost too quiet for John to hear.

"For me? Why would you whine and complain for me?" John asked as he cocked his head to the side, genuinely confused.

"So you wouldn't notice your own pain as much. It's a psychological thing. I usually complain 'cause it leaves my mind with less power to focus on what's actually hurting and then I don't feel it as much. I do that whenever I'm in pain, I know most people think it's just me trying to get attention but it's really not. In fact I hate it when people hover me too much when I'm sick. Too many people make me feel like I'm dying. And the whole complaint and taking your mind off it trick was something that I learned when I was a kid," Rodney took a breath and looked at John, his eyes filled with a mix of horror at revealing so much of himself and trepidation that John would think ill of him now.

"You spent a lot of time at the doctors?" John asked, trying to make Rodney feel a little less freaked out.

"Yeah, I'm a bit of a hypochondriac due to the fact that I spent a lot of my childhood in the hospital. I was sick a lot. I have quite a few allergies, but luckily I grew out of most of them, or at least enough that they just irritate me instead of being life threatening."

"So you're not kidding when you say your allergic to lemons?"

"Yeah. Actually I love the lemon flavor but real lemons cause a severe allergic reaction," Rodney looked away, his cheeks slightly flushed with color and embarrassment.

"I see. I'll have to keep that in mind. So, just real lemons?"

"Well, and any thing made from real lemons."

"Okay. Thanks for sharing. And thanks for trying to help," John said suddenly. He felt the impulse to crowd in on Rodney to make him feel better but; instead, moved off the bed. He walked over and put a hand on Rodney's shoulder. "Really."

"You're welcome, John," Rodney replied and he leaned unconsciously into the touch a bit.

"So, I guess I'll see you later..." John trailed off, not wanting to break the contact but not wanting to make the other man nervous.

"Yeah, I'll even steal extra Jello for you," Rodney promised with a winning smile and hopped off the exam bed. "I'll see you at lunch."

John merely smiled and walked off in his own direction to talk with Carson.

Later at lunch...

"It's about time you got here," Rodney said in a slightly snappish tone. He wasn't even sure why he was upset that John hadn't been there sooner, but ever since John had left him in the infirmary he had the urge to go and seek the other man out.

"I'm sorry, but I was held up by Lorne, he needed me to finish filling out some paperwork. But I'm free now," John replied with a wolfish grin as he sat down right next to Rodney. The other man gave him a questioning look, since it was their custom to sit across from each other.

"Change of pace?" Rodney asked, trying to sound casual, but failing a bit.

"A little, I just felt like sitting next to you," John replied with a smirk and nicked one of the cups of blue Jello off Rodney's tray. "Besides, it's easier to steal off your plate if you're sitting right next to me." He smirked as he sunk his spoon into the Jello and took a bite.

"I see," Rodney replied with a raised eyebrow. He shifted slightly, playfully blocking his tray from John's searching fork.

John smirked and flashed Ronon and Teyla a grin before making a stab for Rodney's meatloaf. Rodney didn't even look at him and managed to knock John's fork across the table with his own. He looked at the spinning fork with a look of amazement.

"Nice move, McKay," Ronon murmured in approval.

"Yes. I agree," Teyla said with a slight nod.

"I can't believe I managed to do that," Rodney whispered in amazement. John's eyes widened and his pupil's dilated and he nearly acted on his sudden excitement. He took a shuddering breath through his nose and was assaulted by the scent in the air.

"Well, I guess if I'm going to steal from your tray I'm going to have to be a little quicker," John drawled, trying to sound nonchalant as he picked his fork back up. He leaned back in the chair and started in on his own tray of food. He nibbled at the meat on the plate but felt his stomach roll uncomfortably and he went back to the Jello.

"You okay?" Rodney asked as he heard the strange noise that came from John's stomach.

"Yeah," John replied as he put a hand over his stomach. "I guess the food isn't agreeing with me today. At least the meat is disagreeing with me."

"Huh, I didn't notice that," Rodney replied as he picked up a bit of John's meat and took a small bite of it. "It seems fine to me. You sure you're doing okay?"

"Meh, it's probably just all the excitement from today. It happens sometimes," John tried to brush it off. He tried the mashed potatoes on his plate, and found he could handle those. "See? I'm fine with these," he waved a forkful at the scientist.

"Okay, but if you're still feeling like this at dinner, you have to let Carson know. It could be a side effect of the mark on your going arm missing," Rodney admonished as he took the meat off John's tray and traded it for some of the potatoes on his own.

"I will," John conceded.

"Okay, well, I've got to get to the labs and make sure my minions aren't about to blow up the city," Rodney said with a roll of his eyes. He grabbed his Jello and a spoon and got ready to head out.

"You're leaving already?" John asked, voice a little strained. He straightened up and followed the shorter haired man with his eyes and head.

"Yeah..." Rodney drawled, he cocked his head slightly. "You happened to be over fifteen minutes late. I've got lots of work to do. You can come by the lab later if you really must harass me." He paused for a moment, thinking. "Yeah, I should be in my lab. As far as I know."

"Oh... okay... I'll see you later," John said with a slightly let down look on his face. He watched Rodney stand up and walk off, clearing off his tray and leaving it to be cleaned.

"John? Are you alright?" Teyla asked gently. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and tilted her head. "I asked if we are still on for practice today."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, right," John replied. He shook his head and looked back at her. "I'm sorry, I must have spaced out there for a second."

"Is there something wrong with Doctor McKay?" she asked worriedly.

"What? Why would say that?" John asked and looked back in the direction Rodney had gone.

"You seem father fixated on him today. You seemed almost to be studying him," she replied and pushed her own; finished, tray away.

"Oh... I hadn't noticed," John replied offhandedly. He shook himself and looked right at Teyla. "Why are you so interested?"

"I am not. I simply made an observation about your behavior being... somewhat unlike yourself. You seem more fixated than usual, and you are not usually this obvious," Teyla replied soothingly. She could tell that John's temper was flaring but couldn't figure out why.

"Okay, well, I should be off. I've got lots to do and not a lot of time to do it all in. Rodney's not the only one with a ton of work to do around here," John said with a winning smile as he stood and left. Leaving behind is nearly untouched plate of food.

Teyla tried to keep it from bothering her, but she knew it was very unlike her friend.

Later...

John pinned Teyla to the wall, his hormones in overdrive as he warred with the want to pin Teyla down and kiss her, and the urge to go hunt down someone else.

"What do you think you are doing, Colonel Shepard?" Teyla demanded, using both his rank and his last name to snap him back to the present.

"I-I don't know. I think I'm going to go the infirmary, maybe Carson can figure out what's wrong with me," John replied as he wrenched himself away from the wall and Teyla. "Just... just stay here for a few minutes and don't come after me for a while. I have no idea why I did that, but I don't want to do it again."

"I understand. Perhaps you are having an adverse reaction to the wound you received from Ellia," Teyla replied simply as she inched away from her friend.

"Yeah, that's probably it. Hormone exchange or something like that," John replied, nearly grasping for a reason for his unusual behavior.

"I will alert Carson that you are on the way. Go ahead, I'm sure he will be able to help you with this... dilemma," Teyla said in a soothingly commanding manner.

John seemed to be looking through her for a moment, his attention far away before he shook himself back to the present. "Yeah, I'll do that. I..." he trailed off as he looked her in the eye before hurrying off.

He hopped into the transporter nearest the gym and tapped the screen to take him to the infirmary.

Lost in thought he let his feet carry him to his destination.

"John?"

The slightly startled quality of Rodney's voice snapped John out of his stupor. "I'm … in the labs?" John asked quietly, more to himself.

"Yeah, I'm guessing this wasn't your intended destination was it?" Rodney asked with a worriedly amused tone in his voice.

"No, I was headed to the infirmary. Not quite feeling like myself. I could have sworn I was headed to the infirmary..." he replied. He glanced behind Rodney only to notice they were all alone in the science lab.

"Yeah, I sent the minions to dinner. I know I should have already headed out myself but I hate fighting my way through the line. I'll go after the mian rush. How about you? You want to go with me?" Rodney asked offhandedly as he turned his attention back to the computer under his fingers.

John's stomach growled loudly and he gave a slightly embarrassed look to Rodney. But Rodney wasn't paying attention to John.

And John's eyes fixated on Rodney. The way the scientist was leaning over his laptop, distracted, with his neck exposed at an uncomfortable angle. He couldn't help himself and found himself drawn closer and closer to the other man. He took a tentative sniff and his eyes rolled up into the the back of this head briefly as his body tightened in pleasure from the scent.

"Did you just sniff me?" Rodney asked, not sounding angry, just more perplexed. He turned to look at John and ended up hooking his head under John's chin. He felt … safe and protected as John touched his chin to Rodney's neck and head. He blinked in confusion for a moment before moving into a position where he could sit up properly. He was careful to avoid smacking his head on John's chin in the process.

"I think I did," John replied. "I've been having a problem with my hormones lately. Dunno what it is, but I think I'm gonna go to the infirmary now."

"You … should do that. But, do you want me to go with you?" Rodney asked. He couldn't put his finger on why he wanted to spend more time with John or why the thought of him going to the infirmary bugged him, but it did. He shook himself mentally, knowing that this line of thinking was useless to him in the long run.

"Nah, why don't you go get something to eat and I'll catch up?" John replied, trying to ease his own mind at the thought of leaving Rodney alone again. Something in his subconscious had brought him down to the labs but he didn't know what that was. He tried to shake the feeling as he turned to leave. "You know I could walk with you to the transporters, then we can go our separate ways. If you want."

"Sure, that sounds good," Rodney replied, liking that idea better than any he could come up with at the moment. He leaned over and grabbed his laptop. "And you know what, I think I'll take this with me. At least I can get some work done while I wait for you. Maybe I'll come up with some new ideas and solutions if I'm somewhere other than the lab for a few hours. You know. Like when I come up with genius ideas when we're off-world."

John laughed for a moment and nodded. "Yes, you're good at that." He gave Rodney a winning smile at the idea. "So, shall we?" He made a wide sweeping gesture towards the door to the lab.

"I believe we shall," Rodney replied in equally good spirits. Though he couldn't place why the thought of hanging around John was making him nearly buoyant. He nodded to John as he clipped on a shoulder strap for the laptop and hooked it over his shoulder.

John's stomach growled loudly as they entered the mostly deserted hallway and he laughed, mildly embarrassed.

"Hungry?" Rodney asked. "You know we could head to the Infirmary after we get food..."

John started to nod but shook his head. "No, Teyla told Carson I was on my way. I need to head there before he sends the blood hounds after me. I know he's got minions everywhere." He gave Rodney a rueful smile as he comically looked around for the ninja doctors hiding the hallways.

"Well, I'm sure that if you bug him you can get Carson to take a blood sample and send you to dinner while he runs the tests. Then, if it's something serious you can head back without still being hungry. You can tell him you'll be a good patient if he lets you get some food first."

"That sounds like a good plan," John replied with a thoughtful look as he followed the other man.

"Good, so, we'll head to the transporter, we'll go to the Infirmary level, you'll get off, talk to Carson, and I'll head to dinner and wait for you. You'll let me know if something comes up. Okay?"

"Geez, McKay, you almost sound like a real military strategist," John murmured appreciatively as he bumped shoulders with Rodney.

"Must be hanging around you too much."

"Or just starting to hang around me enough," John replied.

"Hm," Rodney hummed as the door the transporter opened and the two of them stepped in. As the doors closed he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I've been wanting to do this forever," John whispered, barely loud enough for Rodney to hear as he spun the scientist around and pushed him firmly into the wall. He swooped in and kissed the other man, tongue demanding entrance.

Rodney struggled for all of two seconds before he melted into the kiss, his arms involuntarily wrapped around John and pulled him closer. He couldn't explain where the sudden need for the taste of John came from. The need to feel his body pressed close and forcing him into the wall, he let his laptop slide from his hands.

John made a low growling sound that should have sounded threatening, but to Rodney it seemed comforting somehow. He melted further, opening himself to John and letting him take everything he wanted from him.

John's hands moved down from Rodney's shoulders and wrapped around his waist, pulling them closer together. At the same time Rodney's arms moved up to encircle John's neck and pull him in deeper to the kiss.

They broke apart a few moments later for breath, panting but unwilling to move away from each other.

"What were we doing again?" Rodney asked, mind fogged and unable to concentrate on anything but the feel of John under his hands and the smell of his arousal.

John opened his mouth but his stomach answered for him. "Dinner. We were headed for dinner if I remember correctly. I... I'm..."

"It's okay," Rodney replied as he hit the button to take them to the the mess hall, he bent down and scooped his laptop back up. "I'm open minded. And I've been kind of wanting you to do that for a really long time. But I know all the US military mumbo jumbo and the whole issue with DADT, so we just don't tell anyone. Keep it under wraps. I'm sure between the two of us we can come up with some reason for spending more time together. Plus, neither one of us is new to keeping secrets. Right?"

"Rodney, you're rambling," John said with a half smile as the doors to the transporter opened and they stepped out. "Don't worry. Like you said. We'll come up with something."

"Right, well, I am a genius."

"As you like to remind everyone. A lot."

"Don't you like me for my brains?" Rodney gave a halfhearted pout.

"Well, it saves our asses on a regular basis, so I'd I have to say that I like you for your brains." John smirked. "But that's not the only thing," he whispered just loud enough for Rodney as they entered the mess.

Rodney rolled his eyes and pushed John out of the way, grabbing a tray and starting down the line, not paying attention to what was being served for a few moments.

"Doctor McKay!" a sharp voice finally caught his attention and he realized he'd been in the process of grabbing a plate when a tight hand around his wrist had finally caught his attention.

"What?" Rodney demanded, John made a sound low in his throat as he glared death at the hand around his wrist.

"That has lemon in it. I don't know where your head was but I've been trying to tell you for a while now. I'm sorry I had to grab you but I know what Colonel Sheppard would do to me if I let you go into anaphylactic shock. I believe cleaning the bathrooms would be on the start of the list. With my toothbrush," the cook said with a weak grin as he let go of Rodney's hand.

"Oh..." Rodney stared at where he'd been grabbed for several seconds. "Yeah... thanks. Don't know where my head was. Thank you."

John was still making the low growling noise and Rodney's head snapped up to look at him as the cook recoiled from the deadly glint in the Colonel's eyes.

"What's safe tonight?" Rodney asked as he nudged John who finally stopped growling at the sudden, sharp motion.

"Well, the steak-loaf is safe, we found some really cool herbs that make it taste like it's been made with ketchup and steak salt. And there's a kind of fish and we've got a fake tarter sauce for it. But I'd stick with the steak-loaf, personally," the cook replied, looking relieved to have something to talk about now that John wasn't trying to light him on fire with his glare.

"I'll take the steak-loaf then," Rodney said as he held out his tray. He gave a half smile and nodded, looking sleepy all of a sudden. The cook smiled back and put two cups of blue jello on Rodney's tray with a wink and a nod.

"Take care of yourself, Doctor McKay, we might need you to save all our butts again real soon. This place has a nasty habit of that. We'll take care of dinner. You solve the science and the Colonel will do the impossible stunts. You guys make a great team." And with that the cook turned to finish dishing out dinner to the rest of the line.

Rodney nodded, more to himself than anyone else and grabbed a bottle of water as he moved away from the line to find a table to sit at. It was late and most of the tables were empty, especially those by the window since the evenings tended to get a little chilly. But that never really bothered Rodney so he went ahead and sat down at a deserted table and waited for John to join him as he rearranged everything on his tray a few times.

John shook himself, watching Rodney move away had distracted him for a few moments.

"Keep your eye on him, Sir. He seems a little more tired than usual today and he almost got lemon chicken," the cook said. "I gave him double jello. A few of the guys noticed he's been pulling extra shifts so they left theirs. Make sure he gets some rest tonight, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," John replied. "I'll probably head to bed soon myself."

"Sounds good. You two deserve it. You guys pull way too many miracles for you to be wearing yourselves out like this. Maybe you'll find a vacation planet on your next mission."

"I doubt it, but one can always hope..." John gave one of his trade-mark grins and moved on, swiftly making his way to Rodney's table. He sat down across from Rodney, noting that the scientist had chosen one of the two-man tables that were popular for the chess club.

Rodney had just started to pull his laptop onto the table when John approached.

"Mind if I sit with you, Doctor McKay?" John asked, giving a strange lilt to his voice in a lame attempt to disguise it. He held is tray in front of him like a high school kid as he waited for the response.

Rodney looked up, rolled his eyes, and nodded. "Yeah, you dork. Sit down."

"So, how's the … did he say steak-loaf? Man, they're running out of ideas already? We're doomed," John said as he looked at the meat on Rodney's plate.

"Not really, just they usually stick with a theme for the day. Loafing the meats, lemon-ing the chickens, and the like," Rodney replied as he gestured with his fork before taking a bite. "The cook was right though. This is good." Rodney chewed thoughtfully for a moment before looking back at John.

"So, what do you want to do after dinner?"

"I dunno," Rodney replied with a thoughtless shrug as he typed on his keyboard with one hand and ate with the other. "We could …. think of something."

John titled his head slightly in confusion as he thought about the implications of what Rodney was suggesting before a feral grin broke out on his face.

"I think I can get behind that idea," John replied, still grinning. He stabbed his meat and took a vicious bite out of it, taking the time to note that Rodney and the cook were right. It was really good.

"So, what do you say we head back to my quarters when we're done here?" Rodney asked, sounding almost bored with the conversation as he continued to type on his computer. But John caught the sly smile and quick sideways glance that was sent his way.

"Sure, that way we can do that. Should be fine," John replied, using the same tone of voice.

"Glad to know you still value my brains," Rodney murmured offhandedly as he took another bite of his dinner.

"What are you working on that can't wait until after dinner?" John asked as he took another bite of his food.

"Power regulation protocols and redistribution, we've only got so much power to work with and if I can figure out a way for us to be able to increase the efficiency of the Naquadah generators then we'll be better off. Only using the ZedPM in an emergency will help. Besides, I'm just looking over the calculations for now. I'll do more the the 'heavy lifting' in the morning after I've had time to mull it over. It's nothing that's life threatening," Rodney replied with an off handed shrug.

"Then put the laptop down and enjoy your dinner."

"I'm a genius, I can do several things at once and be completely aware of them."

"Yeah, well, what about me? Don't I have needs? I need your company and I don't get that when you're nose deep in equations."

"Okay, I'll put it down for a few minutes," Rodney sigh dramatically as he took another huge bite of his steak-loaf

"Thank you, oh kind and wonderful DOCTOR McKay," John drawled, purposefully drawing out Rodney's name to annoy the scientist.

"You are a six year old," Rodney rolled his eyes.

"What can I say? I'm special."

"You do know... that's not always a good thing," Rodney replied with a raised eyebrow and an indifferent look.

"Aw," John half-pouted and took another bite of his food. "So, are you about done? I'm ready to get out of here." He was practically bouncing in his seat, eager to get back to their other activities.

"Geez, can't a man eat first? Or would you like me to pass out from a hypoglycemic attack?"

"No, I mean, yes you can eat. No, I don't want you to pass out," John rolled his eyes again and scratched at his arm absentmindedly.

"Is your arm bothering you?" Rodney asked, concern clearly evident in his expressive blue eyes.

"It's just been itchy, I doubt it's anything serious," John replied as he gave it another scratch. "Besides, I'm not going to let a little itchy spot deter me from my earlier goal." He gave Rodney a brief lecherous grin.

"As long as you're okay, I'm perfectly fine with distracting you from any minor irritations," Rodney said offhandedly, but his eye had dilated noticeably at the grin. He shook himself and went back to eating, quickly making his way through the food on his tray.

"I'm going to clean my tray and head for the hallway to make it less suspicious, I'll be meandering on my way towards your quarters. No one would dare burst in there," John said as he stood. He winked at Rodney and began his slow gait towards the door, giving Rodney enough time to finish without seeming like he was waiting for the other man.

Rodney nodded and waved, making it look like the end of any conversation the two of them had in the mess hall on any given day.

John smiled and stopped at a few tables on his way out. Nodding to people that called out his name and seeing how various teams were doing. But the whole time he could feel the power of Rodney's gaze on his back, and for some reason that made him feel just a little bit proud.

Rodney determined it had been long enough and quickly gathered his tray and laptop and made he way out of the mess. He passed Sheppard on his way out, not acknowledging the other man other than to step around him and continue on his way out the door. As soon as his tray was disposed of he picked the laptop back up and started typing away at it and checking calculations.

John said goodbye to the people at the table he was currently talking to. They were new and he didn't really remember their names but he wasn't going to be rude to the newbies. It would be out of character. And that; more than anything else, could get the two of them caught.

The thought sent a thrill up John's spine.

He shook himself and headed out the door himself, letting Rodney get around the corner before picking up his pace. He made sure no one was following them before he bumped shoulders with the scientist.

"About time, I thought you got lost. Were you busy flirting in the mess again?" Rodney asked, frustration he wasn't used to creeping into his voice.

"I only do that 'cause that's what I always do. I'm friendly," John replied, somewhat defensively. He felt bad about making Rodney feel less wanted, but he knew that if he suddenly changed overnight that people would notice. And the last thing he wanted was to be taken away from Rodney and the rest of his friends.

"I know, I just wish you'd do it less," Rodney replied with a quiet groan. He knew he was being selfish, especially since they had just decided to do something about the feelings they were having for each other.

"I'll try, but I have to be careful and do it slowly. I don't want anyone catching on," John replied. And he found that he really meant it. That he didn't want to flirt with other people, he wanted to be with Rodney.

And only Rodney.

He smiled at that thought.

"We're here. Sorry about the mess. I haven't really been in here lately so I have been able to keep up on it..." Rodney said as they stood in front of his door. He waved his hand over the control and the door whooshed open. He purposely looked anywhere but at John, worried about the other man's response.

"What mess?" John asked as he looked around the room bewildered by the scientist's worry. "I don't see one? Your desk is messy, and your clothes are in a pile in the corner, and you haven't made the bed, but where's the mess?" He examined every inch of the room with his eyes and saw that; while yes, it wasn't all organized, it was in contained piles.

"Well, I just figured you military types are used to everything being in it's place. I'm normally much neater than this," Rodney looked to his desk that was piled high and looked like there could be a landslide at any moment. "Well, aside from the desk. But, I just don't want you to think I'm a slob."

"Compared to how I kept my own room before we came out here? It's practically spotless," John replied. He leaned over and grabbed Rodney by the waist. "Now, if I remember correctly, we were in the middle of something when we came in here. So, forget whatever mess you see and let's get back to that, shall we?"

"I thought..." Rodney started to counter but was interrupted by John's lips on his own. Strong hands held his head still, and his own hands flailed for a few seconds before coming to rest on the other man's hips, fingers gently massaging his sides. His eyes fell shut as he let the sensations wash over him.

John hummed quietly to himself, feeling victorious at having Rodney in his arms at last. He pulled the scientist a little closer, wanting to crawl all over him and mark him. He felt Rodney's hands on his sides and the thought only spurned him on further, he wanted to... mate.

His mind stuttered at the thought for a moment. It was unfamiliar and yet, felt to right at the same time. He let Rodney pull back for a moment so the two of them could catch their; much needed, breath.

"You have the mouth of a God," Rodney breathed, still panting a little from the intensity of the kiss. "We have to do that a whole lot more often."

"I want you," John replied.

"I want you too. More than that," Rodney replied. "I want more. I-"

"I want to MATE with you," he whispered quietly, breath ghosting across and into Rodney's ear as he leaned in close.

"Yes," Rodney hissed with barely a thought. It sounded right. Felt right.

"Bed?" John asked.

"Clean enough."

"Lube?"

"Damn it, you're going to make me lose it before we even get naked," Rodney whined quietly. He looked around the room and spotted the bottle of hand lotion on his night stand. "Lotion on the nightstand. I think we'll be fine."

"Good, now, we were working on naked," John said, steering the conversation again.

"And the lights," Rodney said. "I'd like to concentrate on how you make me feel this time."

John groaned in response to that thought. Hard already from the claiming kiss he had put on the other man. He thought off, at the lights and suddenly the two of them were only bathed in the light that was coming in from Rodney's curtained windows. "Being the strongest gene carrier has it's advantages," John said quietly with a full smirk as he let his hands drift down to Rodney's hips.

Rodney merely groaned in response, feeling almost out-of-control at the feel of John around him. Kissing him. Getting ready to be with him.

They quickly shed their clothing and ended up on the bed. Naked.

John moved between Rodney's legs, relishing the feeling of being there. He smirked as he pushed one finger into Rodney. The scientist groaned and threw his head back.

"More," Rodney groaned. He pushed back against the finger, demanding more.

"Yes," John hissed as he added more lube and pushed another finger in. He closed his eyes against the tightness he felt and added another finger. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," Rodney growled as he spread his legs as far as he could, leaving himself vulnerable to John.

"You're my mate," John purred as he slowly entered the scientist's body, feeling the tight heat engulf him. He stilled for a moment, trying to keep from losing it immediately. "Rodney..." he groaned.

"Yes," came the hissed reply as Rodney tightened his legs around John for a moment.

"More?" John asked quietly.

"More..." Rodney demanded as he flexed his legs to draw the other man deeper inside of him. He sighed contentedly as John picked up the rhythm.

"Wanted this for … too long," John groaned. He licked and nibbled along Rodney's jawline, nuzzling and sniffing as he went. Marking the other man by rubbing his jaw against him.

"You have no idea," Rodney groaned in reply. He shifted his hips slightly and changed the angle with a half scream of pleasure as John started hitting his prostate dead-on. His nails dug into the other man's back slightly, but didn't draw blood.

Rodney whimpered.

"Got it," John murmured into the scientist's ear with a smug grin.

Rodney was lost in sensation as John leaned his head down to take a nipple into his mouth.

"Now?" John asked as he released the abused flesh.

"Now..." Rodney groaned, as his body started to shudder and shake as he came. His body tightened around John, pulling him over the edge.

"Mine," John wheezed, feeling the breath and orgasm pulled out of him. His fingers unconsciously clenched on Rodney's hips as he gave a few last thrusts. His whole body shivered as the two of them collapsed on the bed. He gently bit the other man's shoulder, teeth leaving a brief indentation.

Rodney groaned quietly as John's arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him to lay on his side. He whined as John slipped out of him, but he settled shortly after with a contented hum.

"I like being here," John murmured quietly. "With you. Enjoying the feel of you. I … I care about you more than I've cared about anyone."

"I think I've been in love with you since we got here," Rodney replied as he tucked his head under John's chin and enjoyed the closeness between them. "I know I thought I might ask you if you wanted something casual when you sat in the Chair but..." he yawned widely and his jaw popped a little, "When I actually got to talk with you. Your hidden strength and intelligence, and your personally... what can I say? I was looking forward to being with you. You're one of the few people that actually like to be around me."

"Well, you're my mate now," John whispered, on the edge of sleep. "So, you don't have to worry about that any more. I'll always be with you. I like you. And I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you."

"I like that," Rodney breathed as he drifted off. "And your my mate."

A couple hours later...

A loud banging noise on the door woke John and Rodney. John snarled quietly and hovered over Rodney before he even realized what he was doing. Rodney blinked up blearily and nuzzled up against the man hovering over him.

"Doctor McKay?" a strong male voice called through the door. "Are you in there? We're having trouble finding Colonel Sheppard, can you assist?"

"One of the Marines," John said quietly.

"He's in here, we must have lost track of time," Rodney called back as he leaned in to the warmth over him.

"He's with you?" the man called back, his tone was clearly confused.

"I'm here, soldier, you can stand down. Did I miss my appointment with Beckett?" John called, deciding to bail Rodney out of the questions he was certain would come. He shook himself and allowed himself a brief sniff of the other man's hair before he rolled out of the bed.

"Yes, sir. Doctor Beckett sent us to come look for you when he couldn't raise you on the radio. You said you'd be in the Infirmary a while ago."

"I must have accidentally knocked it off," John replied as he quickly dressed. "Would you tell him I'll be down in ten?"

"Sure thing, Sir," the man replied, and they heard the sounds of retreating footsteps.

"We shouldn't stay holed up in here too much longer anyways. People get suspicious," Rodney said sadly as he got to his feet as well. He bent to pick up his own discarded clothing with a shake of his head. He thought the lights back on and looked over to John who was straightening his own clothing out. "It's not fair you look so composed."

"Eh, military training," John replied with a shrug. He leaned into the bathroom to straighten his hair as much as possible. "Though there's really nothing to be done about my hair."

"All's fair, and all that," Rodney replied with a chuckle as he gave the other man a through visual inspection. He paused and his eyebrows drew together. "John, what's that?" he asked, pointing at a spot on John's right forearm.

John looked down and frowned. "I have no idea what it is, Rodney. You should get dressed, nothing should have shown up this quickly. If I've got something, then chances are that you've got it too."

"Damn it, this galaxy is trying to kill us... again," Rodney whined as he toed his boots on. He sighed theatrically as he quickly brushed his hair into some semblance of order. When he felt it looked acceptable he gave a nod and they both grabbed their headsets and headed out the door.

"Beckett, this is Sheppard, we might have a slight issue," John said into his headset as he stepped into the hallway and practically dragged Rodney to the nearest transporter. He couldn't place the feeling that he couldn't leave the other man's side.

"What seems ta be the problem, lad? And where have you been? Teyla said you'd be coming down over an hour ago," Carson's voice came over the radio.

"Sorry, doc. I didn't eat much at lunch and got distracted. I must have knocked my headset off and not realized it. But you're gonna have to see this, I don't think I can accurately describe what's going on over the radio," John replied uncertainly. He tapped the screen of the transporter to take them to the Infirmary. He kept his hand on Rodney's arm, but moved it up to rest on his forearm instead of holding his hand.

"Okay, Lads, ye've got ta tell me what's goin' on here," Carson said as they entered. He had two nurses on hand and all three of them looked worried.

"Well, doc, see..." John hesitated a bit, taking a half-step back and ended up pulling Rodney with him.

"Look, he's got this weird mark on his arm," Rodney said as he stepped forward. He grabbed the other man's arm and pointed right at the spot. "See here? Now how long do you think it should take for something like that to happen? And he's worried that I might be infected too."

"I see, well, that looks nasty now, doesn't it?" Carson replied, as he tried to keep his face from showing how upset he was with the whole situation. He motioned to the two nurses behind him. "Would you please get me two blood kits, please? Thank you ever so much. And Nurse Halloway, would you please take the Colonel's blood while I take care of Rodney?"

The nurse in question nodded and moved to take John to another area. She was shocked when he didn't move.

"Um, not for nothing, but I'd rather stick with McKay, if you don't mind. I mean … if he's infected with something, it's probably my fault," John looked at the floor like a kid that had been caught doing something bad.

"I can assure you he'll be in good hand, but if it makes you feel better, we can put you on the next bed," Carson said slowly, not sure why he was doing it.

"Yeah, besides, do you really want me yelling at him from across the Infirmary?" Rodney asked as he quirked an eyebrow at the doctor. He crossed his arms over his chest defiantly.

"Aye, I don't want you yelling across here," Carson admitted. "Just sit down and I'll get ye two sorted out in short order."

"Thank you so much, oh Vampire Doctor," Rodney replied with a mock bow.

"Don't ye be temptin' me ta knock ye out," Carson warned with a waggle of his finger, but his smile belied his words."

"Yeah, yeah," Rodney waved a dismissive hand as he hopped up on one of the beds. He watched as John hopped up on the one facing him.

"You know, this looks like it's in the same place as the wound Elia gave you," Carson said as he looked at the mark on John's arm.

John merely shrugged and watched as the nurse took a blood sample from Rodney. Rodney said nothing as the nurse quickly and efficiently did her job. She gave the scientist a strange look but went to take the sample off to be analyzed.

"How long is this going to take?" Rodney asked, already drumming his heels against the side of the bed in impatience.

"Well, I have to analyze the blood samples," Carson said as he finished taking a sample from John. He passed it over to one of the nurses and nodded to her. She walked off to start the analysis. "Did the two of you have any plans?"

"No. Not really. I have paperwork to do, but that's about it," John said with a shrug.

"I have calculations and staff reports to go over. Not to mention I have to send out an email on the experiment in lab 6," Rodney said. "But... if you can get one of your minions to retrieve my tablet, I'll stay here and be good. If they grab a second one then Sheppard can get his own work done. He'll just have to log in with his own credentials. And we'll both be good and you can give us lollipops when we leave and you're done shaking chickens at us."

Carson rolled his eyes but stopped a nearby nurse to send them Rodney's room to fetch the requested items.

"So, what do you want to do after this?" John asked, giving Rodney a once over. He grinned at the other man, his lecherous intentions clear as day for a moment.

"Yes, but aside from that," Rodney sighed. "We both really do have work that needs to get done. But maybe later?"

John nodded and adjusted the back of the bed into a reclined position. He kicked back and waited, watching Rodney out of the corner of his eye the whole time.

"I have the tests running right now, but I'd like ta put ye under the scanner if ye don't mind," Carson said quietly as he walked back in. He was frowning at a tablet in his hands. "I've also got Doctor Weir on her way down here."

"That doesn't sound promising," John said as he glanced from Rodney to Carson.

"Don't worry, it'll be alright," Carson replied. "But Rodney's gonna have ta stay over here for the time being."

"It's fine, Carson, I don't need him to hold my hand. I just want someone to talk to and you hate it when I take over your staff's duties by trying to keep myself from getting bored," Rodney said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Go, I'm sure I'll be fine. All by myself."

John and Carson both rolled their eyes at him as John hopped off the bed and followed Carson deeper into the Infirmary where the scanner was. He laid down and held still. He heard as Elizabeth walked in and stood next to Carson as the doctor started reading the results.

"How's he doing, Carson?" Elizabeth asked quietly, trying to keep her voice low enough that John wouldn't hear them.

"It's the retrovirus, it's affecting his DNA and changing it. I was concerned after we took a blood sample earlier, but I was hoping it would just break down in his body. It doesn't look like that's the case," Carson said, keeping his voice low as well."

John laid perfectly still on the scanner bed, listening closely to the whole conversation.

"So how long do we have?" Elizabeth asked, always wanting to know what the score was. "Weeks? Days?"

"Days," Carson sighed, he looked up as a nurse brought him a PC. "Oh no. We seem to have doubled our problems."

"What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked.

"Rodney's infected too. And almost at the same level. I'm gonna inject both of them with a viral inhibitor, but that will only help with their cognitive functions. It won't slow down the virus."

John decided that he'd had enough and sat up, looking right at Elizabeth and Carson. "So, how am I?" he asked, pretending that he hadn't heard a word of the conversation, letting the other two feel like they were protecting him.

"Carson's gonna figure this out," Elizabeth said as she walked up to him. She tried to give him a smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"That's dead man talk," John replied as he turned to dangle his legs over the side of the bed.

"Now, John, everything's going to be alright. You just have to have faith in the people around you."

"What about Rodney?"

"Did you hear all that?"

John shook his head. "Nah, I just heard his name. Is he going to be okay?"

"He's been infected with the retrovirus too," Elizabeth said quietly. "I know you must be scared."

"No, it's like when I was a kid and I got my wisdom teeth out and I was on codeine for a full seven days. I know I should be in pain, or at the very least, freaked out and I'm not. And that freaks me out even more," John replied.

"We'll beat this," Elizabeth insisted.

"You know. You really suck at this whole bedside manner thing."

"I know."

"But I appreciate the effort."

"Did you want to tell Rodney?" Carson asked as he walked up to John and Elizabeth.

"I should, I think when he helped me with my bandage after Elia attacked me. He cut his finger and got the splinter. I think that's when he got infected. So, it's really my fault. Besides, I want you looking for a way to get us better," John replied. "But don't worry. I'll suspend our Gate activity. If we watch each other we should spot any new changes faster. Rodney's the one that noticed the mark on my arm anyways."

"Good lad. Off with you then. You two can stay in that end of the infirmary if you'd like. One of the nurses should have already brought Rodney's tablets for you two to work on," Carson replied.

"Thanks, doc," John said as he hopped off the bed and walked back over to where Rodney was sitting.

"How bad is it?" Rodney asked as John walked up to him.

"I'm sorry," John said as sat down on the bed opposite Rodney. "This is all my fault."

"Oh, god. We're dying aren't we?" Rodney asked as he slouched, there was a tablet in his hand and one sitting on the bed next to him.

"Not excactly..." John hedged.

"Then what?"

"We're both infected with the retrovirus, and it's changing us on a cellular level."

"Oh..."

"Yeah. But they're working on it."

"Okay."

"Wanna play chess?"

"Sure. And … it's not your fault."

"Thanks."

Several hours later...

John walked into Elizabeth's office with a Marine following him. "Look, I made a new friend."

"It's only protocol," Elizabeth replied as she looked him over. He was wearing a long sleeved shirt, but she could tell he was still rapidly changing from the blue that was creeping up his neck and the way his hand looked odd. "You look well," she said as she noticed just how much his hand had changed. "Should you be out of bed?"

John looked down at his right hand and quickly stuffed it into his pocket, wincing a little as the rough skin was pulled by the material of his pants. "I was going crazy down there so they said I could walk around a bit."

"How's Rodney?"

"Looking through the database. I don't really read Ancient so I'm pretty useless when it comes to doing the searches."

"Can I help you with something, John?"

"I want to go on this mission."

"You said it yourself. You're not fit for off-world activities."

"Yes, but the inhibitor they're giving us? They keep having to up the dosage, and I rather do something … I don't want to just sit around on my ..." he held his hand up and flexed it a little, "mutating hands. Let me help! I don't … I can't just sit here while my team puts their lives on the line to help me out. To find a cure. I should be with them."

"No. I can't let you go with them when you could be compromised by what's happening to you."

"What's the worst that could happen? I die? It's not like I'm facing a rosy fate here."

"You could compromise the mission."

"Wait! You're saying I'm suddenly a liability?" John demanded. He could feel his temper rising and was trying to keep it in check.

"Your condition can change rapidly."

"I know. But I know I can do this. This is my life we're talking about. And we can't afford to lose Rodney. Let me go."

"I can't."

"I'm going on that mission," John insisted, trying to hold together the last shreds of his patience.

"No. You're not," Elizabeth said, her voice certain and filled with finality.

John snapped. "Damn it!" he roared as he turned and punched out the window of the office. He took a step back as his escort snapped around and had the stunner trained on him. He looked up at Elizabeth sheepishly. "I should go back to the infirmary."

"Yes," Elizabeth replied softly.

John nodded and left.

In the Infirmary Rodney was explaining what he had found in the Ancient database to Lorne and Carson.

"According to the database they like caves. Cool, damp, and dark. Which translates to me as scary, awful, bad," Rodney said as he turned his tablet around. "Here's the Gate address you'll need."

Evan nodded. "Don't worry, doc. We'll have you both back to normal in no time."

"I can only hope your right," Rodney replied, his own hands were both changed and his skin was itching all the way up his neck where the blue was quickly spreading.

"I've left some oil ta help with the itching, and Colonel Sheppard should be back shortly to keep ye both out of trouble," Carson said gently. "We'll be back as soon as we can, lad."

"Thanks. To both of you. Now go, before either one of you can let that go to your head," Rodney grouched. He noted the small, strained smiled on both of their faces as the left. He shook his head and picked the tablet back up, making sure to use the stylus that was attached to avoid damaging the screen.

John walked into the infirmary a few minutes later with his guard detail.

"How was your walk?" Rodney asked as he looked up from his work.

"Not as good as I had hoped it would be," John replied as he hopped up on the other bed. "I went to try and talk Weir into letting one of us go."

"And by 'one of us' you mean you," Rodney remarked.

"Yeah..."

"And how did that go?"

"Not so good. It's against policy, and I kinda lost my temper." John looked away as he spoke, avoiding eye contact with the other man.

"How bad?" Rodney asked with a sigh.

"I broke the window in her office. With my bare hand," John replied. Rodney raised an eyebrow at him. "Yeah, so I told her I should come back here. Try and stay out of trouble. But, as I was walking in here I realized something."

"And what's that?"

"It's not very secure in here. And we can't really turn the lights down. You can't tell me that the lights aren't starting to hurt your eyes. You keep squinting every so often," John replied. "If we confine ourselves to one of our rooms then all we have to do is assign one security team to the both of us. And we can control the lighting. It's not like they can do much for us in here besides watch us change and keep dosing us."

Rodney sighed and rubbed at his burning eyes. "You're right. And Carson said we could go to our rooms if we wanted to. He noticed the light was bugging me."

"Please don't use that word."

"Sorry. I forgot."

"It's okay."

John hopped off the bed and waited for Rodney to do the same. They both walked up to John's escort. "Sergeant, we're going to my quarters. It's more secure. You can let Doctor Weir know. If you don't mind."

The sergeant nodded and tapped his radio, murmuring quietly before turning back. "Lead the way, Colonel. Are you both going to your quarters?"

"Why?" John asked, trying to keep the acidic tone from showing.

"So I know if I need to get a team for Doctor McKay."

"Right. No, he's staying with me. Only one exit to guard that way."

The sergeant spoke into his radio again and then nodded. "After you."

"Thanks," John replied. He led the way with Rodney close at his heels. They didn't meet anyone in the hallways and for that they were both grateful. When the door closed behind them John turned to Rodney and sighed. "I'm sorry."

Rodney rolled his eyes as he waved his hand over the control for the lights and dimmed them almost all the way off. "It's not your fault. How many times am I going to have to say it for your to believe me?"

"I just … I care about you too much to let something like this happen to you," John sighed as he sat down heavily on the bed.

"And how did you 'let this happen'? From what I remember you were fighting for your life. Then I was helping you. Just like I would anytime you got an injury. I was worried about you. I always worry about you when you get hurt," Rodney sighed as he sat down on the bed and leaned against the other man.

"I know," John replied as he leaned into the contact. He sighed. "I just feel like this is all somehow my fault."

"Don't. Don't think like that. Or you'll end up second guessing yourself on all of your decisions, then where would we be? Dead. That's where." He set his tablet on the bedside table next to the picture of John and Evil Kenevil. "Now, if I remember correctly, you implied something dirty, and completely against regulations," Rodney whispered the last part into John's ear.

"I'm …" John turned and his eyes widened as he watched the man next to him. "Can we rest for a bit?" he asked, voice quiet. "All the excitement..."

Rodney smiled gently and nodded. "As long as we get to share the bed," he murmured as he pushed John down. He pushed and adjusted until he had John right where he wanted him, and curled into the warm embrace, and tucked his head under John's chin with a contented sigh.

A knock on the door woke them from sleep. The lights where completely out and Rodney groaned. He rolled out of the circle of John's arms and grabbed his tablet, quickly moving to sit on the floor facing away from the door. John sat up and turned so his back was facing the door.

"Hello?" Elizabeth called uncertainly, her hand moved to turn the lights on.

"Don't," came the command in unison. Neither Rodney, or John had looked up. "Leave the lights off," John clarified.

"I wanted to try practicing my bedside manner," Elizabeth said as she walked in, looking around to try and figure out where Rodney was hiding. She walked up until she was almost right next to John. "How are you doing?"

"My body's mutating into a bug," John said, tone serious. "How are you?"

A soft laugh from Rodney made her start to turn her head towards him.

"How's the team doing?" John asked, stopping her from looking.

"They found an Iratus cave and they've headed in," she replied.

"Good," John practically whispered.

"They should be back in no time."

"No time?" Rodney scoffed.

"And then what?" John demanded as Elizabeth's head started to turn towards Rodney again.

"Honestly? I don't know. They still have to make an antidote for what's happening to the both of you. And I don't know how long that's going to take."

John and Rodney remained silent, only the tapping of the stylus on the screen any indication that Rodney was still in the room. Elizabeth was almost afraid to look at him for fear of the way John would react.

"Do you want me to call someone?"

"Who would you call?" Rodney asked, tone full of acid.

"No one," John answered for her. "We need a bigger security detail. At least double," John said as he continued to look away from Elizabeth.

"Excuse me?" Elizabeth asked, confusion clearly evident on her face as she took another step closer to John, forgetting that Rodney must be right behind her.

"At least two men at the door. Sooner, rather than later," John continued, still keeping her from seeing more than half his face.

"What do you mean?" she asked, hoping for clarification.

"Oh, just trust me Elizabeth. You're going to need it."

"Listen, John," she demanded as she reached out to grab his shoulder. His head snapped around, one eye golden and the pupil slit, while the blue of his skin had moved up to cover his jaw line and was moving up his ear and had begun to circle his mouth. She felt a hand on her should, pulling her back and the nails were fairly sharp.

"Don't touch him," Rodney growled.

"Oh my god," Elizabeth gasps as she turned and took a look at Rodney. Both of his pupils were slit but still blue with a faint ring of gold around the outer edge. His whole jawline was blue with small scales starting to appear.

"The security detail needs to hurry," John said, watching as she turned back to him and Rodney's hand fell away from her.

"You both should be in the Infirmary," Elizabeth insisted.

"The Infirmary isn't secure," John countered, as he continued to stare at her.

"The inhibitor is only keeping us lucid," Rodney added. "It's not slowing the retrovirus at all."

"Still," Elizabeth tried.

"Don't argue with me!" John demanded harshly as he stood, towering over her slightly. She could feel Rodney at her back making a strange growling noise.

"Neither one of us us safe to be around anymore," Rodney added as he gave her a shove towards the door.

"Now get more men at my door and get the hell out of here,"John finished, still crowding into Elizabeth's space.

Elizabeth nodded as she continued to back out of the room. She watched as Rodney came and nuzzled up to John's chest and they both watched her leave. "Okay, okay..." she stepped out and the guard on duty gave her a questioning glance. "Double the detail."

Rodney nuzzled into John again as the door shut and locked behind Weir. "I don't want to hurt anyone."

"I know, but they have to stay out of our den," John replied as his arm wrapped around Rodney.

"I know. I just want to be able to DO something to help," Rodney groused.

"You're working on the database, that's all we can do for now," John replied. "Unless you'd like to work out your frustrations?"

"No, not right now," Rodney sighed as he picked his tablet up off the floor and curled up the bed, he waited, watching John until the other man sat down to be his pillow.

Later that night...

"John? Rodney?" Elizabeth called as she walked slowly into the room. She couldn't see either one of them, but a nod from the guard assured her they were both still in there. "Rodney?" She took a few more steps into the room, looking for a sign of either man. "John?" She walked up to the bed where a discarded tablet lay still running calculations. "Our team got back from the mission."

John landed silently behind Elizabeth, but Rodney remained out of sight. "And?" John demanded, his whole face except for a band around his eyes had turned blue, scales had formed all along his jaw line and both of his eyes had shifted to unholy yellow with slit pupils. The scales had also appeared up the sides of his neck and the blue was all the way up his ears.

"The nest wast too well protected," Elizabeth said, slightly breathless. Her eyes continued to dart around the room, looking for some sign of Rodney. "We were unable to retrieve the eggs."

John frowned, his eyebrows drew together and he tilted his head as he heard a faint hiss from behind and above him.

"They tried their best," she tried to comfort him.

"Best?" John interrupted as his head turned back to face her fully.

"The bugs attacked..."

"Try again," John countered, voice eerily calm sounding.

"I can't do that," Elizabeth said, voice calmer now.

"Why not?" Rodney's voice demanded from above and behind John. Weir looked but still could see no sign of him.

"Rodney..." Elizabeth pleaded. "No... I won't."

"If you won't, then you should kill us both now," John said, still eerily calm.

"John..." Elizabeth breathed as she looked away, ashamed by even the thought.

"It would be better for all involved," John insisted.

"I can't do that," she insisted.

"Then try again," John insisted and Rodney hissed from the background.

Elizabeth firmed her mouth and posture as she shook her head.

The skin around John's eyes tightened as a hissing click came from behind him. He grabbed Elizabeth by the throat and slammed her up against the wall. A muffled thump was heard and she saw Rodney stand up behind John, backing him up, and he was equally changed.

Elizabeth grabbed onto John's arm and panted for breath. "We lost Walker and Stevens. I won't send another team!"

John's head tilted and he clicked in Rodney's direction. The scientist hissed and clicked back at him, not moving any closer.

"I won't risk more lives," Elizabeth insisted.

John glared and hoisted her a little higher so she had to stand on the very tips of her toes or risk being strangled. John glared at her, looking her up and down for a moment longer until a hiss from Rodney had him dropping her. The door opened and both of them walked out, Rodney took out the guard closest to the door while John took out the other.

Elizabeth lay gasping on the floor of John's room as she heard the two guards hit the ground with a sound of pain. She ran into the hallway but saw no sign of where the two men had gone. She quickly checked on both guards as she tapped her radio. "Security breach in Colonel Sheppard's quarters."

John and Rodney quickly made their way to the nearest transporter, John taking the lead. He threw the scientist that was already in there out. The man cried out in surprise but was otherwise uninjured.

Rodney tapped a location on the screen for them to move off to, sticking close to John's side.

They came out of the transporter into a darkened area. Rodney moved to the nearest room, starting to set up a barricade of boxes and supplies for them to make a new den out of. John walked the hallway, giving the other man a quick nuzzle before starting his patrol of the area to make sure they would be safer.

John followed the sounds of footsteps and quickly, and silently, began scaling one of the walls.

"Above us!" Teyla called as her light hit him. He winced as the bright light hurt his eyes, but continued moving upwards. He made it to the ceiling before he jumped down and landed in the middle of the group, knocking two of the men out with ease as the rest of the group turned to aim at him.

The two men guarding the staircase fired stunners at him which had no effect. He tilted his head and hissed as they dropped the stunners to switch weapons. He leaped forward and knocked them both out on the stairs. As soon as he knew they were out he started to make his own way up the stairs when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see Teyla with her weapon pointed at him.

"Colonel! Please, do not make me do this," she pleaded as she raised her weapon.

John tilted his head the other way and heard a hiss from above him just as she opened fire near his feet to drive him away. He hissed and ran up the stairs towards where he knew Rodney was hiding. He ran quickly down the hallway, ignoring his surroundings in favor of training his senses on where his mate was at. He missed the fact that Ronon was hiding in a little alcove as he ran past, only aware of it as three stun blast hit him in the back. He went down with his eyes still open and his hand reaching in Rodney's direction.

Rodney hissed in fury as he watched John go down to the shots Ronon's gun. He let instinct take over as he ran forward and knocked the bigger man backwards. He carefully grabbed John's arms and started hauling him away but wasn't quite quick enough to evade the shots from the man on the ground. He fell, slumping over John's unconscious body, trying to shield him.

A few hours later...

John woke suddenly and completely. He looked around the room and felt the restraints on his wrists. His eyes roamed around as he tried to focus until he saw Rodney laying on the bed next to him. He tried to reach out but was stopped by the bonds on his wrists. He looked over to see Elizabeth and Carson standing over him.

"Sorry about the headache, it's a side effect of the inhibitor," Carson apologized.

"Did I hurt anyone?" John demanded very quietly, his voice soft. He looked back over at Rodney whose breathing was shallow as his eyes moved restlessly under his eyelids.

"Not seriously," Weir said.

"Did Ronon shoot me?" John asked.

"You had it coming. He shot Rodney too," she replied.

John felt the hiss trying to make it's way out of his mouth but he held it in check.

"We don't have long. You only have about an hour before the drugs wear off. How would you like to go on a mission that might save you and Rodney?" Elizabeth asked, realizing the connection between the two of them would probably help John keep it together.

"Rodney?" John asked. "I'll do it."

"Good. Teyla has a cloak you can wear so you can head out without much fuss," Elizabeth said. "All you have to do is gather some eggs for Carson. And then come back."

John nodded. He looked down at his wrists as Carson quickly untied him. "He can't come?"

"I'm worried that he'll have a bad reaction. He's sensitive to drugs," Carson said. "And without him lucid we could lose him on the planet. I'm sure ye don't want that, right?"

John nodded. His Mate. His responsibility.

"Did you need your gear?" Elizabeth asked as she held up the cloak. Carson had already disappeared to finish gearing up to wait with Lorne, Ronon, and Teyla.

"No. It will only get in my way. Stay with him?" John asked as he took the cloak and put it on. He pulled the hood over his head and tilted his head down to help conceal his changed features.

"Once I walk you to the Gate Room," Elizabeth promised.

"Good. Thank you. And, I'm sorry about earlier," John said quietly as they quickly made their way through the hallways.

"Good to see you up, sir," Lorne said, he smiled slightly but it fell as John looked up and the other man got a good look at him. He gave a nod. "It's not that bad," he said as they stepped through the Gate.

"At least I'm not still itchy all over," John replied. Ronon led the way and within fifteen minutes they were at the cave entrance.

Carson held up a coffee canister. "I need you to fill this up. Ye got that?"

John merely nodded as he let the cloak drop on the ground. He took the container in hand and paid no mind as Teyla quickly gathered the material up.

He carefully made his way into the cave, noting the feeling of the bugs all around him. He hissed as one got too close to his neck and it backed off. He then cracked a flare and tossed it further into the cave to distract the bugs while he worked. He made his way over to the hanging nest and jumped onto it without a moments hesitation. He over estimated and landed a little too high, but climbed down until he was in a good position to stick the open container in and quickly gather the eggs. As we was finishing he felt a horrible headache start to form and heard a high-pitched chirping from outside of the cave as he landed on the ground and screwed the lid back on his container of eggs.

He fell to the ground as the headache worsened and nearly made him cry out. Instead he whimpered and he spent a moment trying to normalize breathing, his instinctual side telling him to get out of the cave and find a mate. But his human mind reminded him the only way to get to his mate was to give this container in his hand to the people waiting outside. He warred with himself for a moment before he got to his feet. He knew on some level the beeping meant he was likely to be taken out when he left.

He tucked the container in close, not wanting to harm his precious cargo and darted out of the cave. He kept running a he heard the angry hisses and clicks of the bugs as he took their young. He dropped and slid on his back as he saw Ronon's gun pointed at him. He came back up on all fours and hissed at the entrance, hoping they would understand what he wanted.

Ronon's head snapped up and he turned, firing at the entrance until the bugs quit trying to follow John.

Carson knelt near him, but not too close and looked him over. He was panting and the light was making his headache worse. "Did ya get 'em, son?" he asked.

John stared at him a moment before the words sunk in. He nodded weakly and pushed the container carefully towards Carson, knowing that any sudden movement might make them reconsider seeing his mate.

"Mate?" John managed to force out, but it sounded more like a growl than actual words.

"Soon," Teyla soothed as she walked over to him with the cloak in hand and let it drape over him gently. "Wrap yourself up. Follow us, and you will see your mate again."

John nodded meekly, and took position in front of Ronon but behind Lorne with Teyla at his side. Carson stayed near Evan and seemed to be calculating in his head. John stumbled as the headache grew worse, but he stubbornly held on, wanting to see that Rodney was safe. That his Mate was safe before he let himself sleep. It was day time and his body was telling him that he should be sleeping. Should be hiding in the back of the cave he had just come out of.

They came through the Gate with Ronon practically carrying him as he legs gave out. He whimpered as the big man threw him over his shoulder and carried him bodily to the Infirmary. "Mate..." he whined.

"He's right here," Ronon said, voice gruff as he set Sheppard down on his feet next to Rodney's bed. The other man was still breathing shallowly, but he didn't seem to be in pain. John ignored everyone in the room in favor of crawling up onto the bed and wrapping himself around Rodney. He pulled the cloak he was still wearing over the both of them and quickly drifted off with a soft sigh as a hand gripped the material of his shirt.

Hours later John awoke; cold, and in his own bed in the infirmary. He could feel straps holding his hands down and the sound of voices drifted to him through the stillness of the infirmary at night. He held still, straining to listen closely.

"There's good news and bad news," Carson's voice floated to him him.

"What's the bad news?" Caldwell's voice came through, muted slightly but still insistent.

"We got to them a mite too late," Carson sighed.

John frowned, the movement pulling on the tight, dry skin of his face. He was feeling more lucid than he had in days, so what did Carson mean by they had gotten to them too late?

"What's the good news?" Elizabeth insisted.

"They'll be able to function normally in a few days. It's not going to happen all at once, but the new retrovirus has stopped the progress of the mutations and it's reversing a bit. But the problem is that it rewrote so much of their DNA they're gonna have remnants from this. I highly doubt either of them will ever be able to go back to Earth again," Carson said, he sounded hopeful. "Well, at least not until the Stargate Program is declassified. I don't know how much it will reverse, but here they should be fine."

"You really expect either of those … men to resume their normal duties?" Caldwell scoffed.

"Not quiet!" Rodney's voice called, it sounded awful, sore and petulant, but as John turned his head to look he was filled with relief that the other man would make it through.

"Seems they're awake," Carson said, he sounded a little guilty, but both John and Rodney knew why he'd been in the hallway talking. He wanted to give the two men as much rest as he could.

"Water?" John begged as he raised his head a little. He knew what he wanted to say, but he was still having trouble forming the full sentences he wanted.

"Sure," Elizabeth said with a small smile. She grabbed the cup from the bedside table and offered him the straw. John smiled and took a small drink before letting his head fall back on the pillow. He nodded over at Rodney who had fallen silent again.

"Me?" Rodney asked. It was obvious that Rodney was having the same problem with sentences that John was.

Elizabeth smiled at hearing Rodney talk for the first time in days. She moved over and grabbed Rodney's cup to offer it to him while Carson positioned himself between the two men.

"Out?" Rodney asked as he jingled his right hand.

"I'm sorry, lad, but you dinna have the easiest time with the virus," Carson apologized. He moved and released Rodney's hand slowly. "Jus' don't be abusing your freedom, ye hear?"

Rodney nodded solemnly as he pushed the button to raised the head of the bed enough to look at the other people in the room.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea, doctor?" Caldwell asked, his tone calculating and cold.

John rolled his eyes and jingled his own shackle until he got the other Colonel's attention. "Out?" he asked.

"No," Caldwell replied stiffly as Carson moved to release him.

"Fine," John replied and pulled until the restraint broke. He used his new found freedom to raise the head of his own bed and glared at Caldwell, not making any move to free his other hand. "Ass."

"What did you just say?" Caldwell demanded.

John shrugged and grabbed his water cup and took a sip.

Rodney made a chittering sound in the back of this throat briefly that sounded a lot like a laugh.

"He's right though, Colonel. I was gonna let them have use of their hands. I'm the doctor here," Carson said with a shrug.

"He broke through his restraints!" Caldwell insisted.

"Aye, but I was gonna let him go anyways. He was proving that he was asking because he's lucid, and not because he wants to cause chaos," Carson countered.

"Yes," John replied; the 's' drawn out a bit, as he gave them his best earnest look.

"Are you able to form full sentences, lad?" Carson asked.

John nodded, then shook his head. "Here," John said finally as he pointed to his head. "Not here," this time he pointed to his mouth.

"Ah, that would be the retrovirus still affecting your system," Carson said by way of explanation.

"Blue … bugs?" Rodney asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Carson replied.

"I'm going to have to report this back to the SGC," Caldwell said as he gave both transformed men a calculating look. "But from what I've seen so far, I think I'm going to recommend you both at least stay in Pegasus. Hiding you on Earth would be hard, and a political nightmare should anyone ever get a glimpse of you." He shrugged. "Besides, I won't be able to deliver my report for three weeks. You'll have plenty of time to go over any data you've collected by then. I'll let them know the reason for my delay heading back."

John watched the other man.

"And, I'd like it if you'd look over some of the changes I've made while you've been... feeling under the weather. I'm not a bad guy, not really," and with that Colonel Steven Caldwell stood and left the infirmary to hand out instructions to his crew.

John cocked his head as the words sank in before he nodded slowly. He yawned, his jaw popping before he settled back against the pillows. He blinked up at Carson sleepily and pointed at the lights.

"Aye, lad, I'll turn them down for ye both," Carson replied. "But yer gonna have to wait on that. Your friends wanted to see you."

John nodded and looked over at Rodney who nodded as well.

"Just a few moments then," Carson said as he left. The soft murmur of voices drifted into the room and soon enough Ronon, Teyla and Lorne were standing in the room.

"Feeling better?" Teyla asked after a moment's hesitation.

John nodded.

"That is good to hear," she replied with a brilliant smile.

"So, Doc says you guys are gonna have some left overs from this," Evan said, looking uncomfortable.

John nodded and shrugged. "No cure."

"Yeah, but he said some of it will revert back to normal," Evan said hopefully. He tried to give them both an encouraging smile.

Rodney snorted quietly but said nothing. When Evan and the others looked at him, he gave them a shrug and gestured to the scales along his neck and face.

"It will not be so awful to be different," Teyla said in her usual calm manner. She smiled at both of them again. "I look forward to when you are both release, but it has been a long day and I am in need of rest. Good night to you both." She gave a little head bow and left the room with a bit of a smile on her face.

Ronon placed a hand on John's shoulder and nodded. "You did good, even if you were mostly bug back at the cave."

John rolled his eyes a little but nodded. He yawned again and shivered, giving Ronon a pleading look.

"You cold, Sheppard?" Ronon asked.

John nodded and made a quite whining noise in the back of his throat. Ronon merely nodded and moved over to one of the storage closets and found a blanket.

"Cold," Rodney whined as Evan looked at him.

"Okay," Evan looked up at Ronon just in time to receive a blanket to the face. "Thanks, Ronon," Evan muttered into the fabric. He turned and shook the blanket out before laying it over Rodney. "That better, doc?"

Rodney nodded and settled into the blankets with a contented look on his face. He reached up and patted Evan's arm, giving the other man a grateful smile as he started to nod off.

"Thanks," John said quietly to Ronon and Evan as he closed his own eyes, the drugs in his system swiftly dragging him back into the realm of unconsciousness. He hummed to himself and heard Rodney's own hum in return.

Evan and Ronon looked at each other as the two other men in the room quickly drifted off to sleep.

"Wanna grab dinner?" Ronon asked bluntly.

"Sure," Evan replied with a shrug as they left.

Several weeks later …

John and Rodney stood in the Control Tower waiting nervously as was most of the Atlantis Expedition. The President of the United States was coming for a visit. For the first time. And he wanted to meet the two blue men that were taking care of Atlantis.

Rodney chittered low in his throat, his still blue throat with small scales. He looked over a John and locked slitted blue eyes with slitted gold ringed hazel and sighed as he tilted his head slightly. John took a step closer and bumped shoulders with scientist and made a soft clicking sound before taking a step back. The blue had faded somewhat, retreating to run along the jawline and down, and the scales mostly followed prominent bones; the jaw, the hands, the knees, the spine, and the like.

Colonel Caldwell had been true to his word and made a detailed report when he got back to Earth. He made sure to mention the fact that John had offered to retrieve the eggs on several occasions in order to reduce the risk of losing members of the expedition. He also mentioned the restraint the changing man had used when escaping, doing no more than knocking people out and giving one a concussion. He also mentioned that both Sheppard and McKay had been on the road to recovery and seeing them in close proximity would not be unusual as they were the only people who knew what it was like.

The wormhole opened and confirmation from the SGC came through. Half a dozen men and women in black suits, and sunglasses came through the Gate, clearing a space. Then the President came through followed by an aide, a man in uniform, and Jack O'Neil.

"Welcome to Atlantis, Mister President," Elizabeth greeted warmly from her place at the bottom of the stairs. John and Rodney had opted to stay in the Control Room so that none of the Secret Service would try to shoot them on sight.

"Thank you. I've been meaning to visit but …" the President replied, he shook Weir's hand and looked around, not immediately spotting John or Rodney. "Now, you know why I'm here. I wanted to see these … blue men of yours for myself. I believe it's Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard and Doctor Rodney McKay, correct?"

"Yes, they're up in the Control Room, they didn't want to startle you fresh out of the Gate. Their appearance can be a little unsettling at first," Elizabeth said. She gestured towards the stairs and started up them herself.

The President followed close on her heels while the Secret Service agents milled around down below. He stopped short as he caught a glimpse of John. Rodney stepped out into view as well. He locked eyes with each of them in turn before continuing to head up the stairs.

"Sir," John said with a salute. He fell into parade rest and waited.

"Relax, son. You're blue. After everything I've read about that's happened here I'm fairly open minded about this," the President said with a short laugh.

"Shall we continue this in the conference room?" Elizabeth asked as she reached the top of the stairs.

"Yes," the President replied as he allowed himself to be led into the room.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Rodney said as he offered his hand in greeting. He knew most people didn't want to touch either him or John at first and expected a poliet refusal. What he got was a firm grip on his hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Doctor McKay. I've read a lot about you," the President said with a big grin on his face. He let Rodney go and turned to John as he held out his hand. "And I've heard about your brave exploits, Colonel."

John offered his hand hesitantly and let himself shake back. "Thank you, sir," John replied as he followed the other man into the conference room. They all sat down, Elizabeth on the end with John and Rodney facing a general, the President, O'Neil, and the President's aide.

"So, I just have a few questions," the President said. "Are you both stable and able to fulfill your duties? And are you still contagious?"

"Yes, we are both able to perform our duties," Rodney said with a sigh. "And neither of us is particularly infections. It would require a large amount of DNA transfer to even begin the process and we have the antidote now. So even if medical staff was infected during the course of helping either of us out when we do get injured, they would not end up looking like this."

"General Kinsley, I believe you had some questions," the President said as his aide made a few notes in a notebook.

"Yes. I want to know why the two of you are allowed off-world still. Don't you terrify the locals and ruin trade agreements looking a lot like the Wraith you're fighting?" the General demanded as he leaned forward and slammed his hands on the table in the direction of Rodney and John.

Rodney reared back and was unable to completely suppress this hiss at the man's highly abrasive attitude.

The General sat back in his chair, moving away from the hiss and glared. "See what I mean?"

John placed a soothing hand on Rodney's forearm and turned to the General as the scientist next to him settled back into this chair, still seething but calm. "I wouldn't suggest being so aggressive. It's … instinctive to respond when someone shouts and slams things around. And no, we don't scare the natives to the galaxy because the Wraith are green. We're blue. And word's been getting around about us because we both still have the enhanced speed, strength and senses from the change. We've helped lots of people on lots of worlds fight off the Wraith. And those people trade with others and tell the story. So, we're not having a problem with that."

"And what do you tell them you are when you meet these new people for the first time?" the General demanded.

"That we are special warriors from the City of the Ancestors. We are the only ones of our kind and we are trying to make friends while we fight the Wraith. That works quite well on most worlds. Even those that are startled by our appearance don't hold it against us because this galaxy if filled with weird things.," John replied. He looked calm but didn't remove his hand from Rodney.

"And tell me, what is your relationship with Doctor McKay?" Kinsley sneered.

John tilted his head and calculated his response. "Do you know what it's like to be infected by an alien virus and feel your body turn into something closely resembling a bug? To lose yourself to the insticts dictated by your DNA?" John asked.

"No. Why would you ask that?"

"Then don't ask either of us that question again," John replied, his voice low. He still refused to remove his hand from Rodney's arm, glaring at the man across from him the whole time.

"I think what he's saying, is that it's Don't Ask, Don't Tell," Jack said. "You're not supposed to ask, so they don't have to tell you. That's a very personal question and who cares? I don't know who you like to spend time with, and you don't know that I fish in a lake with where no fish bite. Well, you do now. But that's beside the point. You don't need to know." Jack shrugged as though it explained everything.

"He's got a point, General," the President said. "Besides, are you going to try to take him back to Earth for a court martial? And where would you send him if you did manage to kick him out of the military? Here. Don't bother them with these questions. Now, I was told I'd be given a tour of the facility along with the Generals and then there's supposed to be a dinner feast."

"Yes, Mister President," Elizabeth replied as she stood. She gestured for the connected hallway.

"Will they be joining us?" the President asked.

"No, they have work that needs to be tended to," Elizabeth replied regretfully. "But they will be at the feast tonight."

"Yes, I have minions to wrangle back to work, theories to tear holes in, and dreams to crush. At least, that's what my staff would tell you," Rodney said as he walked out of the room. "It was a pleasure to meet you. Now, if you don't mind. I'm taking my light switch with me. I need him to turn on dangerous Ancient devices in a carefully controlled environment. Thank you." And with that Rodney dragged John out of the room without a backward glance. John waved goofily and smiled as he was dragged off.

"I have a feeling we'll be just fine," Rodney said as he pulled John into a transporter.

John smiled and pressed Rodney against the wall of the transporter and kissed the other man deeply.

Rodney smiled as they broke apart content in the company of his Mate.

The End


End file.
